Author: Melanie

Some of you may have heard about the taxi driver who was recently charged with sexually assaulting women with disabilities who were passengers in his Maxi Taxi. If you haven’t, or don’t know much about what happened, you can read the following links for more information:

Sexual assault is a very difficult thing to talk about. Especially for women with disabilities. But as hard as it is, we need to talk about it. We need to talk about how it affects us. We need to talk about what could have been done to prevent the assaults, we need to talk about what would make us feel and be safer. Often the solutions that are provided by service providers and the able-bodied community are ones that just make us feel more silenced and vulnerable.

So this is the time for us to speak up, not as individuals, but as a group, as many voices with different experiences, but with the same desire to feel safe in our lives in our community. But we need to talk to each other before we can have an effective voice, for so many of us it is too frightening and overwhelming to do it on our own.

WWDWA Inc Members, how would you like to have this conversation? Would you prefer to have a forum about this, or have a survey you can answer without giving your name, or contact WWDWA Inc privately to give your thoughts and ideas? Or is there some other way you would feel comfortable in telling us your story? What would make you feel safer when travelling by taxi?

WWDWA Inc has had another very productive year and it is time we have our Xmas break to rest and refresh. We will be back on 13 January 2014. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making 2013 a great year. To all of you who celebrate the holiday season we wish you a happy and peaceful one, and a happy holiday break to those who don’t celebrate. We are looking forward to coming back with more forums and projects that will benefit women with disabilities in WA.

Women With Disabilities WA Incorporated (the “Incorporated Association”)
gives notice that the 2013 Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday
24 November 2013, 2 pm, at the Subiaco Arts Centre, 180 Hamersley Road,
Subiaco.

All community members are welcome to attend the AGM, but only WWDWA Inc members – women with disabilities who live in West Australia – are eligible to be on the Manangement Committee and to vote in elections. Please go to our Publications page to download copies of our Management Committee Nomination and Proxy forms.

Earlier this month a new magazine for people with disabilities started – `starecase’

“In Australia, we do a lot of talking about disability.
But we don’t always talk about the important things.
What it’s like to live our lives.
What its like when people do things ‘for’ and ‘to’ us, not ‘with’ us.
What its like to have ‘special’ things for ‘special people’, instead of being part of the rest of Australia.
We want to talk about the things that matter. To us, not them.
We want to say it out loud.
And if they’re not listening, we will say it louder.”

Following the recent Federal Election, we want to hear from people with disability across Australia about your experience of voting.

People with disability have the right to accessible voting to ensure that OUR VOICE and OUR CHOICES are heard by government. Accessible voting requires polling places that are accessible, voting methods that are secret, and information about elections in accessible formats.

PWDA has put together this short survey so that YOU can tell us about your experience, positive or negative, of voting in the 2013 Federal Election. Access To Voting Survey

The survey will be open for 2 weeks until midnight Sunday 29 September.

Using the results of the survey we will write to the Australian Election Commission to tell them what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and to make recommendations about what should change. We will also write to the Election Commission in YOUR State or Territory to help them make local and State elections more accessible for people with disability.

Please pass on the survey to other people with disability and help us to reach 500 responses! People with disability have the right to full political participation, the more responses we get the louder your call for voting equality!

For more information about voting and elections or if you have any questions please contact Ngila Bevan ngilab@pwd.org.au or call 02 9370 3100

What do you want and need to know about service providers?
What questions do you need to ask about what they can offer you and your family?
What questions do you need to ask so you can make an informed choice?
What questions do you wish you had asked before starting with a service?
What questions would you advise others to ask?

RSVP: 9420 7252 or k.duff@waindividualisedservices.org.au by 7/10/2013. Please advise us of any requirements you may have to participate.

Women With Disabilities WA Inc will be making a submission to the Human Rights Commission about Access to Justice in the Criminal Justice System for People With Disabilities. If you would like to have your experiences and thoughts on this important issue included in our submission, please contact us via email, Facebook message or phone by Tuesday 20 August.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is concerned that many people with disability who need communication supports or who have complex and multiple support needs are not having their rights protected, and are not being treated equally, in the criminal justice system. This is happening to children, young people and adults with disability. It is happening to people with disability who are victims of crime, accused of crimes, witnesses, defendants and offenders. It is happening in police stations, courts, prisons and juvenile institutions, and other corrective services across Australia.

Questions from discussion paper:

What are the biggest barriers for you or other people with disability in the criminal justice system?

What could be done to remove these barriers and help people with disability in the criminal justice system?

Can you provide information about support that has helped you or other people with disability to participate in the criminal justice system?

Please tell us about any time that you or another person with disability experienced barriers to justice.

Do you have any other thoughts, ideas or comments you would like to make about people with disability and the criminal justice system?

WWDWA Inc is back from its winter break – I hope you’ve all been able to keep warm in this very cold weather!

We have the dates for the forums for the second half of 2013 – put them in your diaries! As usual, they will be held at the Subiaco Arts Centre from 2-4 pm. More details about the forums will be in the newsletters.

25 August
29 September
27 October
24 November

The July newsletter will be sent out in the next couple of weeks. If you have anything that you would like to see included in our newsletter, please let me know.